Mia Cesare

THE CONFECTIONERY

mia cesare

professional bio

Mia Cesare is an interior design graduate that explores innovative materials and techniques that minimise environmental impact while enhancing the beauty and functionality of spaces. She combines her deep understanding of design principles with sustainable solutions to investigate the relationship between the natural and man-made world. Drawing inspiration from the iconic simplicity and elegance of mid-century modern design, Cesare seeks to create spaces that reflect both timelessness and modernity. She maintains a history in visual arts, something expressed through all design choices. She is proficient in industry standard CAD software and maintaining effective communication and organisation within client relationships.

design statement

The Confectionery maintains a harmonious blend of nature-inspired elements, emphasising a serene color palette of soft blues, rich purples, and warm oranges. Each space is thoughtfully curated with timber accents that bring warmth and texture, while custom metal pieces add a touch of modern sophistication. The design aims to create an inviting atmosphere, where organic materials and artistic details coexist, promoting a sense of tranquility and balance. By harmonising color and texture, each room tells a unique story, with different colours contrasted and furniture pieces that encourage interaction, inviting occupants to connect with their surroundings and other individuals.

THE BRIEF

Sydney based rum distillery, Brix Distillers is seeking to expand their business to increase production and further their identity in Newtown, Sydney. This immersive rum experience will encourage visitors and connoisseurs to engage with the process of distilling rum, visual arts and music. Located in Newtown’s heritage listed Sydney Confectionery Factory, the design will draw upon Australia’s history of rum and the history of the site to create a community focused space. Here student art will be showcased on the ground level, alongside a bar and restaurant seating, and the second level will provide a more intimate bar for private events and for small music acts to perform. Materiality is important alongside interesting forms to ensure sustainability and a welcoming, comforting environment for patrons. This will draw from Brix Distillery’s already urban identity with an overall rustic aesthetic with contemporary pieces.

THE CLIENT

Founded in 2017, Damien Barrow, James Christopher, and Sid Soin set out to reinvent Australian Rum. Located and based in Sydney they draw upon it’s adventurous and free-booting heritage where rum was the spirit of choice of rebellion. Brix aims to educate a new more discerning audience to appreciate the qualities and subtleties of rum. Hand-crafted through small batch production, they use no artificial flavours or colours, just high quality ingredients, native or locally sourced to create high quality range of rums. The company maintain an integrity to Australia, having a wood policy to ensure all barrels that are sourced previously held Australia liquid wine, beer or spirits. This also ensures good tasting rum though allows for recycling, up cycling and supports the over supply of barrels.

THE SITE

The site is a local heritage item (Item number I2251) known as the 'Former Sydney Confectionery Company factory including interiors' and is located within the O'Connell Town Estate Conservation Area (C43). It is an existing two-storey warehouse building constructed in 1926 occupying the entire site with no setbacks from the property boundaries. Vehicular access is from Egan Street.

As a former factory for Sydney Confectionery Company dating from 1926, this building represents the industrial development of Newtown during the inter-war period. The building is historically significant for its connection to Australian manufacturing of confectionery, such as for ice cream cones, during the inter-war period, and for its continued use for a number of industrial purposes throughout the twentieth century. The use of the factory for manufacturing ice cream cones demonstrates the expansion of industries during the inter-war period which were reliant upon the newly developed refrigeration technology.